Anyone know of a .380 sa/da that isn't blowback?

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I strongly urge the young lady to learn a new method of loading a pistol that does not involve holding the gun crossways and in close contact with the chest. Not only does that technique involve pointing the gun sideways at others in the area, but an accidental discharge could severely damage highly sensitive parts of the female anatomy.

Jim
 
Walther PP in 32 or 380 might work; has a hammer and a decocker; by cocking the hammer back first, racking the slide should be easier to do
 
The new Shield 380EZ sounds like what the OP is looking for. Easy to rack the slide, easy to load the mags and easy recoil. It's hammer fired but the slide pre-cocks the hammer making for a 5 pound trigger pull on every shot .Since the hammer is cocked (or mostly cocked) the grip safety acts as a hammer block.
The 3.65 inch barrel should help the 380 achieve decent velocity compared to the pocket 380s. The gun is slightly larger than a regular shield .S&W is targeting women and those with low hand strength with this
 
The suggestions here were very helpful. Thanks guys!

We're holding off for now. She wants to stick with her SR22 for now. Going to attend a gun show this summer when she can actually hold some of the suggestions from this thread.

Here's the list of guns we are going to try if we can find them:

SA/DA (dream guns that almost exist)
1. PK380.. Dreaming that walther might update this into a nicer pistol now that it has some competition.
2. Taurus TH pistol - A new compact 380 sa/da gun, but Taurus is currently only importing the 9mm version to the US.

Top tier Compromise Guns. Top ones to hold when we go to the gunshow this summer. (since a quality 380 sa/da that isn't a blowback doesn't exist)

1. Shield 380 EZ. - Gonna look at it! From a practical point it seems ideal (to me). We'll see. In her mind though it's the same as a striker since you can't see the hammer. Again, we'll see.
2. LC380 - DAO trigger.

Light trigger but requiring a safety on the EZ, or heavy trigger every shot on the LC380. I asked.. she don't know yet. In fact her request is we not talk about it again until the gun show. HA.
 
I think a Tomcat with Xtreme Cavitator ammunition could be on the table.. except that I've read enough reports of cracked frames with that pistol to be turned off. Reading up it seems like it would be such a simple fix to strengthen that part of the frame I have to wonder why they have not bothered. Anyone have any new information on that?
 
My cousin had an old Steyr in 380 that was the easiest racking 380 I've ever tried, I believe it met all your requirements except it was as heavy as my son's Sig P230 and a bit bulkier, he got it in a trade many yrs ago and hardly fired it, I'm sure they're discontinued, but may be still in circulation.
 
I just realized I never updated what she settled on.

I left it alone for a while and stopped pushing. Eventually she settled on a Beretta (81fs?) in 32 acp. She really likes this little pistol, it is a nice looking pistol, she shoots it well and its very comfortable, and she can easily operate all the controls and load and unload it and rack the slide without thinking about it. I'm done trying to push her into anything else (calibre) this is what she likes, well this and her ruger sr22.
 
Since it is her choice, it is a good choice.... for her!
That's all that matters.
Win/win.
 
JONWILL said:
Star makes a miniature 1911 in 32. I had one and it is very nice

The other gun would be the Colt 1903 or 1908
Even though it is an old design it is thin and very easy to shoot. Still a good CCW or home defense gun. I know it isn’t SA/ DA but is still a viable choice
Click to expand...

The Star Classic series are not 1911 clones, though stylistically similar.

The model S is a .380 or .32 swinging link pistol, not a straight blowback. But Star went out of business 20 some odd years ago, so as cool as they are (light, small, low recoil, low slide action force...) they are getting hard to suggest as a primary pistol due to parts availability, even if you do find a good condition or NOS gun.

http://star-firearms.com/firearms/guns/s/index.shtml

The Super models use a closed-campath lock (like the CZ75, etc) instead and some other improvements.

SSM-Supers-L.jpg
 
I didn’t read the whole thread but I had a walther pk380 and hated it as well. But I’ve also talked to people that loved them. Very similar to an sr22. The takedown on it is retarded and it has the worst safetey in the world.

I would have her try a SW 380ez and see if she changes her mind on the hammer thing.
 
Sorry read the rest of the thread. Glad she found something she likes. I bet if she rented a Shield EZ with two boxes of ammo she would forget all about the hammer by the time she was done with the 2nd box. She would get used to checking the safety as a comfort mechanism rather than a hammer in short order.
 
Yeah, if she ever changes her mind about the Beretta, the Shield EZ is designed with shooters like her in mind. You won't find an easier to rack or shoot centerfire semiautomatic pistol. My wife prefers revolvers, but if not, I am pretty sure she would choose the EZ.
 
I know very little about 380 pistols. I will offer what I do know. I own a Walther PPS/S. It's pretty, it's dependable with both factory and my handloads. It's difficult to rack the slide and it's recoil is rather nasty for such a small caliber. I also own a RIA Baby Rock. There is a big difference in the two guns, at least to me. The RIA is much easier to rack and it's recoil is mild compared to the Walther and it is also dependable with both factory and my reloaded ammo. I've never had a jam with either. I shoot it quite a bit and enjoy it, no so much for the Walther. To me shooting the RIA is just shooting a miniature 1911.

If the S&W 380 EZ had been around when I bought the RIA I would have had to give it a close look.
 
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